Article: Miss Victorious

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks drift, glad you enjoyed that. Big Bertha was a superb looking race car, very nice and clean looking, at complete odds with Baby Bertha. I think Baby Bertha suffered a shunt just recently at one of the events it was running at?

[BMCBOY]

I came across these photos the other day and thought they may be of interest.
Shellsport Meeting at Pukekohe Oct 1975

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, these are fantastic! Ross, Craig Stacey would love to get copies of these for the restoration on the Victor.

Is the third photo of Greg Lancasters car?

[BMCBOY]

Wow, these are fantastic! Ross, Craig Stacey would love to get copies of these for the restoration on the Victor.

Is the third photo of Greg Lancasters car?

Yes, Greg is the tall guy out front and Tony Kriletich who had a lot to do with design and preparation is driving.

[Rod Grimwood]

Yes, Greg is the tall guy out front and Tony Kriletich who had a lot to do with design and preparation is driving.

The same Mr Kriletich who helped Robbie and was involved in other engineering feats, Ross ?

[BMCBOY]

The same Mr Kriletich who helped Robbie and was involved in other engineering feats, Ross ?

The same guy I am told.

[Rod Grimwood]

A very clever fella, and a nice guy with it. Tony never really seemed to get upset or annoyed with things, a top engineer/fabricator. Did some stuff with him back in 75-76. Thats another story one day.

[camaroman slp]

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This car had a relatively brief career. It raced for just three seasons. Yet, it won the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship twice! For those who saw it race, who felt the ground shake beneath its 600hp Chevy, and watched owner/driver Jack Nazer drag it by the throat as he and arch-rival Leo Leonard pounded on each other, Miss Victorious left an indelible impression. Even today, more than three decades after it last turned a wheel in anger, its still a favourite among Kiwi race fans. Nazer would slug it out with the best of them, and his popularity reached its peak with Miss Victorious.

For Nazer, this was to be his last tilt at the NZ Saloon Car Championship, and other than a couple of years running a speedway Midget car in the early ‘80s, the Victor was the last car he raced. Having launched his racing career in 1961, behind the wheel of a ’38 Chevy coupe, Nazer worked his way through a brace of Ford Anglia’s over the next few years, culminating in a Lotus-propelled example with heavily re-worked body, chopped top, droop-snoot beak, and fastback roof, taking full advantage of the liberal NZ Allcomer rules, with which he attacked the 1967 NZ Saloon Car Championship with gusto. Ultimately, his campaign came up short. After leading the championship early, his challenge ran out of puff, as did that of every other competitor, as Robbie Franicevic got into his stride in the 427ci Galaxie powered Custaxie, which swept to victory in each of the last four races of the seven race season.

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With the stroke of a pen, the Allcomers were assigned to the scrap heap following the ’67 season, and New Zealand adopted international Group 5 regulations instead, which were already in place throughout other parts of the world. With this, Nazer ditched the Anglia, which had suffered heavy damage in a late season shunt at Pukekohe. But fortunately the Lotus twin-cam unit up front was salvageable, and transplanted into a MkI Cortina. The Cortina’s brief career ended dramatically in a ball of flames during a nasty shunt in an endurance race at Pukekohe.

Following the Cortina fireball incident, Jack took some time away from racing until returning in 1969 with a self-built twin-cam Escort. Fords Escort TC had proven itself to be a pretty good weapon in British Touring Car racing, and Nazers rival Paul Fahey imported himself a race ready example from Alan Mann Racing, to replace his highly successful Ford Mustang. Several other teams also armed themselves with these giant killers, including young up-and-comer Jim Richards, at the wheel of a John Willment built version. With backing from mens toiletry suppliers Cossack, Nazer made an all-out assault on the NZ Saloon Car Championship over the next two seasons, initially with Twin-cam power, then with a larger FVA, but with the extra power came increased unreliability, which blighted his challenge. Following a frustrating 1971 campaign, Nazer again opted to hang up his overalls and concentrate on his business.

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By 1973, with the business doing well and the money rolling in, Nazer decided to have one last fling at the championship that had thus far eluded him. With Motorsport Association of New Zealand having relaxed the saloon car regulations, teams now had many more freedoms than the old Group 5 rules allowed. They could now fit any motor into any car, as long as that motor didn’t exceed 6,000cc, and could be moved back or forward within the bodyshell to better improve weight distribution. Brakes were free, as were wheel sizes. The vehicle silhouette had to remain basically standard, but flares could be added to house wider wheels, and front and rear wings could be added to increase downforce. Thus far, most teams chose to evolve their existing vehicles, rather than start afresh with a clean sheet of paper, and here presented an opportunity for someone to get a jump on the opposition with a purpose-built racer, created to take full advantage of the new regs.

It was during a meeting with Jim Stone that the concept for Nazers ultimate challenger took its first breath. Jim, along with brother Ross, has since gone on to become one of the most successful team owners in Australian V8 Supercar racing, with Stone Brother Racing team. But back in 1973, Jim was just another young bloke looking for work, and to make a name for himself, having just returned from a multi-year stint at team McLaren in the UK as chief engineer.

Jim set about looking for a car with exactly 102” wheelbase, to gain a happy medium between nimbleness and stability. The unlikely FD Vauxhall Victor fit the bill perfectly. Jack also purchased Neil Doyle’s Begg FM2 from which the Chevy motor with quad-Webers, suspension components and McLaren wheels would make their way onto the Victor project. Jim Carlyle would rebuild the Begg motor. They also had a larger 355ci motor assembled at McLaren Engines in the US, which produced 540hp on the dyno. A GM gearbox and diff were used, and other parts came from Frank Radisich’s McLaren M10A.

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Initially, the car was fitted with the 5.0 litre Chevy from the Begg, with the new engine arriving early in 1975 from the US. Some basic flares were added, following the radius of the wheel openings, to cover the big McLaren wheels, while beneath the nose sat a flat-pane apron spoiler with a ducting hole in the centre to supply gulps of fresh air to the radiator, and brake-ducting inlets either side. No rear spoiler was used. For its first season, the Victor was painted white and red, with matt-black hood.

The Victor was completed in time for the start for the 1974/75 NZ Saloon Car Championship. With expectations high, the team were brought back down to earth with a thud at the opening round. In a 1976 interview with Motorman magazine, Jack was quoted as saying, “It felt like a lethal missile. It handled atrociously and was very unstable under braking”. The new machine threw up a myriad of problems, with front suspension issues creating the braking drama’s, and the Begg Chevy produced its power all at once with a bang, so Nazer must have felt like he was riding a wild horse. To top off the weekend, a rear axle broke. Despite its adventurous first event, Jack could see the car had potential.

Wouldn't it be fantastic to put a mild 350 Chev in it with 4 barrel and run it in its current condition with new tyres roll bar & windows & a good service before you do a major concourse restoration

[seaqnmac27]

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Unfortunately it was crashed twice first beginning of 76 then again finally in April 1977

[GD66]

Wouldn't it be fantastic to put a mild 350 Chev in it with 4 barrel and run it in its current condition with new tyres roll bar & windows & a good service before you do a major concours restoration

A concours resto would be wrong anyway, it was never a show pony from day one and those boys used to race with plenty of contact between themselves. Crude but effective would be too far the other way, but that thing was a race car pure and simple.
Which we loved.

[spinner32]

An interesting aside to the Miss Victorious story. Back in 1979 I would go down to AJ Automotive in Hornby to help Alec Dickie and Dod McFetrish when I was on night shift. Alec, and his father Ken, as we all know built a 327 powered Victor for OSCA racing. Alec told me of Jack leaving Miss Victorious on the trailer on the empty section next to Alec's house between SI rounds, which I understand was quite a period of time. When Jack returned he asked where the spare wheels were off the front of the trailer. They had been stolen. As has been indicated, the car ran on F5000 wheels, which are centre lock. A while later this chap comes into AJ Auto asking of the could put some stud holes into these nice light rims which had came with none. If they couldn't, he was going to throw them into the Estuary. Alec immediately recognised them and suggested some serious consequences if this guy didn't give them back. So Jack got his wheels returned.
It is interesting seeing the advert for Miss Victorious for sale for $7000 as a roller. At that time Alec offered me his Victor for $6500 ready to race. How times have changed.
Pete

[GeebeeNZ]

Great to see those photos of Greg Lancaster and Tony Kriletich with Greg's Victor. In the Mid 1960s I worked with both Tony and Greg in a Government Department. Many of the staff had Kriletich modified cars. Tony was a demon on head mods and car crazy staff used his skills. Interesting Jack Nazer also worked for the same Government Department but had left to set up a car wreckers before then.
Lost track of Tony but Greg left the government to become a very successful businessman. They were fun times.